Comparison of hearing aid outcome measures in adult hearing aid users

Abstract

Hearing aid outcome measures have become an essential part of audiological intervention. This study aimed to explore hearing aid benefit in Maltese hearing aid users through subjective and objective outcome measures. The Profil Imqassar dwar il-Benefiċċju tal-Hearing Aids (PIBHA), a translated version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire, was used to subjectively examine hearing aid benefit in 56 adult hearing aid users falling in the 20- to 60-year age range. Thirty of these hearing aid users subsequently participated in clinical testing to evaluate hearing aid benefit objectively. Real ear measurements (REMs) and two non-word repetition tests, the Maltese Non-Words in Quiet (MNWQ) and the Maltese Non-Words in Noise (MNWN), were used in the study. Analysis aimed to identify which factors correlated with hearing aid benefit. It also explored the extent to which subjective perception of hearing aid benefit correlated with performance on non-word repetition and REMs in the local population. Daily use was associated with gender and hearing aid type. Non-word repetition scores were correlated with the PIBHA scores and with REMs. Unlike findings reported in the literature, REMs were not correlated with the self-reported measures of the PIBHA. Implications for including both subjective and objective measures in hearing aid fitting protocols are addressed